While in Uganda in 2005 I saw people who had survived the disease of polio. Often they are rejected in their communities. I'm a polio survivor myself. Back in the United States, I realized that many people have a lightly-used and no-longer-needed mobility device from a twisted ankle, ski accident, or operation. I saw crutches at garage sales, in dumpsters, and unfortunately in roll-off containers headed to landfills. I knew that I had to do something; this was the genesis of Crutches 4 Africa.